Memorial Beach at Dug Pond is the Town of Natick's public swimming beach, run by the Natick Recreation and Parks Department on the southeast shore of Dug Pond, about a mile southwest of downtown Natick. Dug Pond is a natural glacial pond of roughly 48 acres, despite the old local story that it was dug out by hand. It has steep, wooded banks for most of its shoreline, one wooded island (Bean Island) near the west side, and Natick High School on its eastern edge. The sand beach is the only stretch of the pond set up for swimming.

The beach sits off West Street next to the high school and Memorial Field, with a surface parking lot just south of the sand. The town's beach page lists no separate parking charge; the fee is for entry to the beach itself. The town also runs the Rose Donahue boat launch on the south side of the pond off Windsor Avenue, near the Chase ice arena, which is used for canoes, kayaks and other car-top boats.

Swimming happens inside a marked, lifeguarded area with a dock, a diving crib, a slide that opens only when a guard is posted at the bottom, and a floating dock farther out. You have to pass a swim test to use the floating dock or go down the slide head first. The pond averages about 15 feet deep and drops to around 45 feet at its deepest, so the water gets deep quickly past the shallows. Coast Guard approved life jackets (Type I, II or III) are allowed. Inflatables, pool noodles, rafts, snorkels and masks are not. The beach also has a bathhouse with showers and changing rooms, a snack bar, a playground and picnic grills. Expect a short summer season, roughly mid-June to mid-August, with posted hours of 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM that can change with the weather.

This is a pay beach, but it is open to everyone, not only Natick residents. Every visitor age 2 and up needs a day pass or a season pass. Day passes have been $10 for resident adults and $15 for non-resident adults, $7 and $12 for children 2 to 17, and $5 and $10 for adults 60 and over. Day passes are sold only at the gate (cash or Visa, Mastercard, Discover and tap to pay), with no advance sales. Non-resident season passes are $95 for adults, $70 for children and $31 for older adults. Children under 12 must come with a responsible adult.

The Natick Health Department tests the beach weekly for E. coli and posts the results online, and the beach closes when a sample comes back high. Several recent summers have seen August closures, some lasting about a week and some running into the end of the season. Check the test results page before you drive over in late summer. No pets (service animals excepted), no alcohol or glass, no smoking and no fishing from the beach.

Outside the swim area, Dug Pond holds trout, bass, pickerel and sunfish, so expect anglers along the north shore and near the boat launch. Bean Island can be reached by boat. The road loop around the pond is close to 3 km and is a common run for the high school teams.